There is a need for a cost effective substitute for dimensional lumber, treated wood and other products based on low cost biobased materials (such as wood flour, agrifibers) or other materials that can be processed by conventional extrusion equipment and have properties better than or similar to structural wood products.
Technology to-date has focused on developing thermoplastic biocomposites based on wood flour and thermoplastic resins such as polyolefins, polyvinyl chloride manufactured by extrusion process. These products have many useful features, but do not have the structural properties required to replace traditional wood products in many applications. There are also technologies to manufacture thermoset cellulose composites based on wood chips and agrifiber in combination with thermoset resins such as phenolics, urea-formaldehyde, and so on, by compression molding process. These thermoset properties have good structural properties, but they are not processable in standard extrusion equipment.